Sarajevo’s CineLink to include Mirjana Karanovic’s directing debut

Sarajevo Film Festival’s co-production market CineLink has announced its 2012 selection, with 17 projects chosen out of 80 submissions from countries of Southeast Europe.

Eight projects selected for CineLink will first participate in the Project Development Workshop organised in collaboration with the Binger Filmlab and Croatian Audiovisual Center. The nine productions in the CineLink Plus section will be presented directly at the CineLink Co-Production Market during the Sarajevo Film Festival (July 6-14).

In the CineLink line-up, Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović [pictured], best known for roles in Berlin winner Grbavica and Palme d’Or-winning Underground, will present her directing debut A Good Wife, co-written and co-directed by Stevan Filipović, director of local hits Sheitan’s Warrior and Skinning. Snežana Penev is producing.

Greek writer-director Syllas Tzoumerkas, whose Homeland competed in the Venice International Critics’ Week in 2010, comes with A Blast, co-written by Youla Boudali and produced by Maria Drandaki.

Slovenia’s Hanna A.W. Slak, whose Teah won one of two CineLink awards in 2004 and screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2007, returns with The Miner, produced by Dunja Klemenc (No Man’s Land).

The remaining five projects in the CineLink section are feature debuts by their directors. Bosnian writer-director Alen Drljević won the Prix UIP Award in Sarajevo in 2005 for the short Paycheck, which nominated it for the EFA awards. Drljević is coming to CineLink with Men Don’t Cry, produced by Damir Ibrahimović (On The Path, Grbavica).

Serbia’s Pavle Vučković, winner of Cannes Cinefondation Award for Run Rabbit Run in 2003 and the third Cinefondation Award for Minus in 2007, will present Panama, co-written by Jelena Vuksanović and produced by Tatjana Žeželj.

Brides by writer-director-producer Tinatin Kajrishvili from Georgia; Cowboys by writer-director Tomislav Mršić and producer Suzana Pandek from Croatia; and Lignite, directed by Gregory Rentis, written by Effi Gavrilou  and produced by Maria Tsigka from Greece, round up the selection.

The CineLink Plus line-up features Quiet People by Croatia’s Ognjen Sviličić, whose Armin took part in CineLink in 2005 and went on to win awards at Karlovy Vary and Palm Springs. Damir Terešak is producing.

Turkish writer-director-producer Kutlug Ataman, known for multi-awarded 2 Girls (2005) and Lola And Billy The Kid (1999), brings South Facing Wall, co-produced by Sezgi Ustun.

Romanian producer Anca Puiu (Morgen, Aurora, Death Of Mr. Lazarescu) will present 4 Blows, written and directed by debutant Peter Kerek and co-produced by Alexander Wadouh.

Also from Romania, writer-director Anca Miruna Lazarescu, whose Silent River won numerous short film awards last year, comes with her debut feature project That Trip We Took With Dad, produced by Germany’s Verona Meier.

Hungary’s Peter Nemes, whose With A Little Patience was nominated for best short at the EFA awards in 2008, debutes with S.K., co-written by Clara Royer and produced by Gabor Sipos and Gabor Rajna.

Another Hungarian project in the CineLink Plus section,  Climbing The Mountain by debutant writer-director Gabriel Dettre, comes from producers Viktor Huszár and Ferenc Pusztai (The Other Side Of Sleep, Adrienn Pal).

There are two more Turkish projects in the section: Ahu Öztürk’s Dust Cloth, produced by Çiğdem Mater and Nesra Gürbüz; and There, Outside by writer-director Emre Yeksan and producer Ozgur Dogan.

The Kosovo-Germany co-production Father by first-time writer-director Visar Morina and producers Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo and Visar Krusha rounds up the CineLink Plus selection.

Projects presented in both line-ups are eligible for CineLink Development Awards totalling  €50,000 in cash and services, provided by ARTE, CNC, Eurimages, and Synchro Film and Video.